Hotel Singapura

On a warm windy highway, air-cond in my face
Long queues of motorbikes, riding slower in pace
Up ahead in the distance, I expected some delay
My hand drew out my passport without thinking straight
I had to cross the causeway

There she sat in the counter
Stamping and wishing me well
And I was thinking to myself,
“This could be heaven or this could be hell”
Then she gave back my passport and she showed me the way
There were voices on the radio
I thought I heard them say…

Welcome to the hotel Singapura
Such a sunny place
Such a friendly face
Plenty of jobs at the hotel Singapura
Any time of year, you can find it here

Her mind is Bulgari-twisted, she got the Mercedes Benz
She got a lot of pretty army boys, that she calls friends
How they club by the beaches, bright twilight sweat
Some dance to remember, most dance to forget

So I called up the government,
“Guarantee me my job!”
They said, “we do not have that spirit here, until you climb to the top”
But still those voices are coming in strong all day,
And on TV in the middle of the night
I still can hear them say…

Welcome to the hotel Singapura
There’s no big surprise
Everyone gets a prize
They livin’ it up at the hotel Singapura
Get a job in town, sign your contracts now

Bonus for your taking
Hundred bucks for the dice
And she said “we are all just prisoners here, of our own device”
And in the office towers
They motioned for the pay
They slogged it with their caffeine drinks
But there’s still no night no day

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
“Relax,” said the servant,
“We are programmed to receive.
You can go home for your holiday,
But you can never leave!”